


Death Inspires Me (Like a Wolf Inspires a Deer)

by Spooks_ez



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Almost Kiss, Asexual Character, Cannibalism, Cannibalistic Thoughts, Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Gay Character, Canon Lesbian Character, Comfort/Angst, Drinking, Drinking to Cope, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Constipation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Exes, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Family Issues, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Love/Hate, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Pining, Possessive Behavior, Possibly Unrequited Love, Pre-death Alastor, Psychological Trauma, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Weapons, also sorry if someone is ooc, god i am so sorry for all of these tags im new, no betas here we write and die like men, pre-death characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:15:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21540472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spooks_ez/pseuds/Spooks_ez
Summary: Hell has a brand new resident, and she is NOT happy to be there. Maybe the Happy Hotel can turn her frown upside down. It seems to be the perfect arrangement for her and Charlie, but when the Radio Demon shows up, things do not go according to plan.
Relationships: Alastor (Hazbin Hotel)/Original Character(s), Alastor (Hazbin Hotel)/Original Female Character(s), Charlie Magne & Vaggie, Charlie Magne/Vaggie
Comments: 8
Kudos: 70





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hazbin Hotel and all of its characters belong to Vivziepop 
> 
> Story premise and all original/unofficial characters belong to me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end, surface-side up.

So, this is how it was to end. Not at all that much of a surprise. After spending the majority of her life locked away in a psychological hospital for the criminally insane on a life sentence, Josephine expected there was no getting out and passing away elsewhere. Still, being as old as she was, 109 to be precise, she appreciated the leeway she had been given. Unlike most of the other patients - or prisoners whichever one would prefer – that were confined in their rooms without so much as a book to read, she had been given a great deal of amenities: newspapers and a tv to keep up with the modern times, books to read, and an interesting little contraption the orderlies called an “I-Pod” to listen to music. Of course, she could hardly see at all anymore with the one eye she had left, but rather she enjoyed the feel of the newspapers and the books in her hands. She could also barely hear, but the little she did hear was a nice change from the either the immense silence or the screams of prisoners that were just part of hospital life. Her favorite amenity above all was the fact that she had been one of the few rooms with a view. She often asked the orderlies to leave it open on a nice day so she could feel a breeze on her skin. One of the last few pleasures she got out of life.

Closing her eyes for the night, she could feel that this was it. This was the night. Her old and worn body had endured so much, so many decades, so many changes in the world. As interesting as it was, she hoped that somehow, despite all of her sins, she could find peace wherever she was going. Her breathing slowed, her consciousness drifted away. And finally, her tired heart stopped beating.

For a moment, there was nothing.

Until…

_BANG_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short prologue before the shenanigans start. Hope y'all enjoyed! Comments are appreciated!
> 
> Thank you!


	2. You Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something wicked this way comes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up buckaroos here we go! Wrote this during work so please excuse any grammar errors or typos. Hope y’all enjoy and again comments are highly appreciated! Feel free to message me if you have any questions and I will try to answer them as best I can. 
> 
> Thank you!!

“I’m telling you Charlie, this guy is bad news!” Charlie sighed as Vaggie tried to reason with her yet again. After Alastor had taken out Sir Pentious with a simple snap of his fingers, everyone had given him a wider berth than before. Charlie had been shocked to see his power, as had everyone else, but at the same time felt grateful that someone so powerful was interested in protecting her hotel, even if deep down Alastor wanted it to fail. As Angel had said in the limo earlier that day, you win some you lose some.

  
“Vaggie I know! I honestly don’t believe we can redeem him no matter what we try. But like, he saved the hotel from getting destroyed and he’s already made it feel so much more livelier, I think we should at least give him a chance you know?” Charlie watched her girlfriend’s frown deepen even more. She hated to upset Vaggie, but she knew that all Vaggie was worried about was Charlie’s wellbeing and the fate of the hotel. She meant well with her constant defensiveness, Charlie reminded herself.

“Okay look, how about this. We give him a chance to behave himself and do right by the hotel, and if he screws up, then we can kick him out.” A terrified look crossed Vaggie’s face as the thought of angrily kicking out the infamous Radio Demon played in their minds, ending horrible. “Oooorrr, we can ask him to leave super nicely?” Charlie suggested with a nervous smile.

  
“We’ll figure it out hun,” Vaggie sighed in slight dismay. “But okay, I’ll give you that one. One chance,” she said, holding up her index finger to Charlie’s face. “One chance and after that he is done!” She brought both of her hands up to an X and then swiped them down quickly. “And him being on his best behavior extends to everyone too, and as much as i hate to say it, Angel Dust too.”

  
“Hey!” Angel Dust cried indignantly, no doubt eavesdropping on their entire conversation. He had returned to lounging on the couch in the lobby area, a second popsicle in his mouth.

  
“Ya betta not hate to say that, toots! I’m the first person to even show up to this shitshow; you outta show me some respect!” He finished with a dramatic wave of the popsicle, sending droplets pattering on the floor. No doubt Niffty would quickly be around to wipe the mess up and complain about a lack of men in the establishment.

“Well hopefully, now with Alastor’s help we can get some more residents here and ready for redemption,” Charlie offered with a hopeful smile. Vaggie smiled in return, and although her smile was hopeful as well, it was significantly less than that of Charlie’s.

“I wouldn’t hold your breath for too long, babe.” Angel’s lazy reply came. “I mean, after the news fiasco, I doubt anyone’s eager to-“

_BANG BANG BANG_

Three forceful knocks at the door made the three of them jump. They all stared at the door for a moment before three more of the same knocks came again. Shooting a somewhat frightened look at Vaggie and receiving a shooing motion toward the door from Angel, Charlie walked toward the door. Just before she opened the door, a final knock that sounded way too harsh to be a simple knock sent the door flying open, causing Charlie to shriek and jump back just in time.

“What the fuck?!“ Angel yelled.

A figure had grabbed the door and all but dragged itself inside the hotel.

“Please! Please help me!” The figure, a woman, cried out. She reached out toward Charlie and immediately proceeded to collapse at her feet. Without a thought, Charlie rushed toward the women and helped roll her on her back.

“Hey! Hey there its okay, just breath! You’re safe!” The woman inhaled and exhaled a few long breaths, attempting to calm herself.

“Can you sit up?” Vaggie asked, appearing at the woman’s other side. Angel had also approached, kneeling at the woman’s feet.

“Oof, you don’t look so good babe, you must be a fresh one.”

“Angel would you please cut it out for half a second?”

“One Mississippi, two Mississippi-“

“ _Shut up!_ ”

“How can we help you?” Charlie asked a bit too loudly in an effort to drown out Vaggie and Angel’s bickering once again. The woman sat up, shaking her head as if to clear it and ran her hands through her hair. It was long and the blackest of blacks, it even had a blueish hue to it, Charlie noted. It was then she noticed that the woman also had black fuzzy ears sticking out of her locks. _Puppy ears?_ Charlie wondered.

“Wolf ears,” the women murmured, noticing Charlie looking at her ears. “Or at least that’s what they appear to be, what I feel they are. To be honest I am in a complete daze.” The woman chucked.

“That’s generally how people feel when they literally land here in Hell, or at least I am assuming you’re new.”

“You would be correct, miss.” The woman nodded. “And I have to say I am completely at a loss at everything around me.” She made a movement to stand and Charlie and Vaggie immediately helped her to her feet.  
“Forgive me for my sudden intrusion,” the woman said, brush herself off. “I ran as fast as I could when I saw your newscast on the television.”

“Oh,” Charlie faltered with a nervous laugh. “Oh you saw that? Yeah that was um..that did not go according to anyone’s plan.”

“I want to sign up.”

“Excuse me?” Charlie and Vaggie both exclaimed at the same time. Angel just stared in shock.

“Yes ma’am. I want to sign up,” the woman said with a small smile. “I’m not sure how things work in... ‘Hell’ as you said, but quite frankly I don’t believe I a good fit for this place and would like to do anything I can to leave. I’m not afraid of any hard work as long as it gets me out of here!” The woman’s smile grew, revealing large sets of canine teeth. The wolf part of her was definitely present.

Charlie stared at her for a moment before letting out an ear-piercing squeal and throwing her arms around the women.

“OHMIGOSH MY SECOND PATIENT!” She squealed again and hugged the woman harder, who smiled but seemed extremely uncomfortable that this strange girl was hugging her so tightly.

“Wait!” Charlie realized, releasing the poor woman from her death grip. “I never got your name!”

“Oh my sincerest apologies! How rude of me.” The woman said, as she stuck her hand out toward Charlie. “My name is Josephine, please to make your acquaintance.”

*********

Charlie had brought out her special intake clipboard and paperwork, which of course had only been used once before with Angel Dust, and began getting all of Josephine’s background information.

“Okay so,” Charlie began, clicking the pen excitedly. “I’m guessing your death day was today, so we’re gonna jot that down.” Josephine nodded. “How are you feeling about all of these new changes?”

“Awful!” Josephine exclaimed immediately. “When I passed I was exceptionally old, so having this younger and much stronger body and being able to see and hear again is quite foreign feeling. Especially these,” she glanced up to here wolf ears and twitched them. “I fear I may never get used to them.” She paused for a moment. “Also my eye,” she said, pointed at her right eye. It was completely white, no pupil or iris to be seen. “I was blinded in life in this eye, and despite it still being white I can see so clearly out of it. It is quite off putting. Not to mention my other eye is now black and red. An interesting change from green eyes.” Josephine laughed and Charlie followed suit.

“I do however enjoy this gown I arrived in.” She spread out the gown as if to show it out. It was a beautiful royal blue gown, floor-length, with long cap sleeves that showed off her lovely neck and collar bones. “It definitely reminds me of the gowns I loved in life.” There was something about her that Charlie really liked. She seemed super genuine and sweet. A far cry from many of the demons in Hell. Perhaps, Charlie thought, it was because she hadn’t been in hell long enough to be corrupted, or maybe she was a sweet person to begin with. It made Charlie remember next question on her list.

“Okay Josephine, this next question is a little tough and may make you feel uncomfortable, but I have to ask it anyway.”  
Josephine sighed.

“What did I do in life that ended me up here?” She guessed correctly. “To be honest Charlie, I am not exactly sure. I know I made many mistakes in life, but in all honesty I feel I did them with the right intentions at heart. It came as quite a shock when I woke up here. I had hoped, in my last moments, that I would find mercy and peace in whatever afterlife I ended up in.” Josephine laughed harshly. “Apparently that was not the case for me.”

“Oh don’t worry Josephine,” Charlie soothed, placing her hand over Josephine’s. “Whatever you did in life, well, it can’t be undone. But you seem like you really want to change and I really like your attitude about it. It may be a rough road, but I don’t see why you can’t be redeemed and go to heaven.”

“Do you really think so?” Josephine asked in a small voice.

“You bet I do,” Charlie replied confidently. “And maybe, the two of us can help other sinners to redemption along the way!”

“I think I’d like that very much.” The two women laughed together at that. Vaggie had been watching not too far away from where they sat. It surprised her to say, but she actually liked this woman as well. As far as anyone who came into the hotel or talked about it, since it was usually met with unkind laughter, Vaggie always saw these people as a threat to everything Charlie had worked for. But with Josephine, Vaggie felt that she actually, truly wanted to be there and fully participate in whatever program Charlie offered her. Honestly, it was so nice to see at least one other person who wanted Charlie to succeed as much as she did.

Charlie and Josephine continued to chat about whatever it was they were chatting about, when suddenly the smell of something delicious drifted into the room. Everyone in the room immediately perked up, drawn to the smell coming from the kitchen. Josephine however, had the strangest reaction. Her ears and hair had bristled, and she definitely did not look happy. Her one red pupil had turned into a slit, and with the black sclera background along with her other completely white eye narrowing, Josephine actually looked rather frightening in this moment.

“ _What_...is that _smell_? Josephine all but growled.

“Um, I think its jambalaya,” Charlie replied turning toward the kitchen, completely oblivious to Josephine’s change in demeanor. “One of our um...new friends decided to make some for everyone for dinner.”  
Josephine’s ears flattened even more, but she did not reply.  
“Why do you ask?” Charlie turned and looked at Josephine and finally noticed Josephine looking slightly murderous. “You have a thing against jambalaya?” She chuckled.

Josephine snorted unhappily. “Not at all, in fact I loved jambalaya growing up, it was my favorite. However, I do have um...” She paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. “Bad memories tied to certain events and people that always seemed to be around when I partook in eating it.”

“Oh, well hopefully being here now will help you a bit with those past memories,” Charlie offered helpfully. “Our new friend seems to be really passionate about cooking, especially Cajun food. You’ll get to meet him shortly, his name is Ala-“

“Hip hip hooray the jambalaya is ready to play!” A loud showy voice filled the room as a tall man burst through the kitchen doors. Radio static immediately filled the room as he entered. Alastor himself, the infamous Radio Demon, was wearing an apron with the words “Kiss the cook” written rather awfully in permanent marker. He was without his coat, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and hair pulled back, looking absolutely thrilled with himself and his horrible rhyme. It seemed however, that one person was the exact opposite of thrilled to see him _._

 _“You!”_ Josephine snarled, jumping to her feet, baring her fangs. For a startling second, Alastor did the unthinkable. He dropped his smile, but only for a second before replacing it with an even wider, more sinister looking grin.

“Why Josephine,” he purred. “What a pleasure it is to you see my dear. It certainly has been far too long.”

*****

After 30 minutes or so of screaming and manhandling Josephine away from Alastor as she tried to claw out his eyes, Charlie and Vaggie had finally separate the two of them. Charlie asked Angel to sit in the lobby with Alastor to keep an eye on him, something Angel was more than happy to do since it gave him all the opportunities to try and make Alastor uncomfortable, which of course was Angel’s favorite pastime.

Charlie and Vaggie had brought Josephine upstairs to what would be her new room. They had sat her down on the bed, and sat on either side of her silently as she buried her face in her hands and let out the angriest sobs they had ever heard. Charlie had tentatively placed her hand on Josephine’s back in an effort to comfort her. It seemed to work as the sobs began to subside slowly.

  
Eventually, Josephine lifted her head, wiping the leftover tears from her pale blue face.

“I do apologize ever so much Miss Charlie. I’m...I’m not sure what came over me.” She hiccuped.

“It’s okay Josephine, but I do have to ask...” Charlie bit her lip and offered an apologetic smile before continuing. “Is there any reason that seeing Alastor would have set you off? Like, did you run into him on your way here or did you...”  
  
Josephine hiccuped again.

“Yes, I knew him...from before. In life.” The room became so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Neither Charlie or Vaggie dared to speak except for the shocked looks they exchanged. Finally, Josephine continued. “I knew him in life, so many years ago. I knew who he was before...before everything changed.” She turned quickly, startling Charlie.

“I knew him well for so long, and I know that that man is one who will never change his ways no matter what. I am not sure why you allowed him into your establishment, but I do know this. Under no circumstance should you ever allow yourself to trust him. He is an incredible liar who weaves beautiful stories you long to hear, and you may even believe everything he says whole heartedly, but if you do he will destroy you and laugh as he does it.”

Charlie’s heart felt like ice. There was no denying that Josephine was definitely not lying to her right now. Her red and white eyes bore into Charlie’s soul; she had meant every word. Something small in Charlie’s gut told her that Josephine knew exactly what she was talking about and to believe it, but she pushed it away; everyone deserved a second chance right? But after looking at Vaggie sitting on Josephine’s other side, it was clear what she had made up her mind. _I told you so, Charlie._

“I appreciate you telling me this Josephine,” Charlie replied, placing her hand on Josephine’s shoulder. “I will definitely keep that in mind, but it’s clear to me that Alastor being around isn’t exactly what you want. I hope your opinion on staying at the hotel hasn’t changed...?” Josephine shook her head.

“I want redemption more than anything and _Alastor_ of all people will not get in my way of this. I will stay and do whatever you ask of me, but only on the condition that Alastor is kept as far away from me as possible. If not, I will retaliate.”

Josephine’s eyes glimmered with the promise of violence. “This I swear to you.” Josephine stuck her hand out again to Charlie, and the two shook on it. And just out side the room, a long wiry shadow listened intently. And it smiled.


	3. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josephine’s first full day at the Hotel has barely begun and already Alastor decides to try and ruin it.

_Hiding in a closet was the last thing she expected to be doing. She had decided earlier in the day, while he was away, that tonight she would wait in his room for him to come back. That way she could confront him directly about whatever sort of tomfoolery he had gotten up to recently. Things had been so odd, even strained between them. He was always locked up in that radio studio, something he didn’t normally do. Usually, the door was left open for her to come inside and watch him in his radio booth as he did his normal broadcast. It was a favorite pastime of hers, simply watching and listening to his lovely voice as he sang and spoke to his loyal listeners._

_So of course, when the studio door became locked all the time, it was enough to send alarm bells ringing in her head. She knew he had been under a great deal of stress since the stock market had crashed, who wouldn’t have been? He seemed very casual about the whole thing, almost like he thought it was a massive joke that he found hilarious. She guessed that this just had to be his method of coping with it all._

_A creak in the stairwell outside the room brought her back to the present. She didn’t know why she was so worried about interacting with him; he had never given her any reason at all to be nervous around him. She loved him after all. But this still did not ease the fear that was slowly creeping up her spine._

_She could hear him slowly walking up the stairs, each footstep sending a creak through the old wooden stairs. Eventually, she saw the head of his shadow through the crack in the closet door, approaching the doorway to his room. It seemed to hesitate for a moment. She realized at this moment she was breathing heavily. She tried to calm down; this was all so silly he wouldn’t do anything to he-_

_The door suddenly swung open and she immediately brought both of her hands over her mouth. It was all she could do to keep from screaming. He was there. And he was covered in blood._

_She watched in horror as he lazily crossed the threshold of the room, an awful smirk on his face. As if he was proud of himself._ Oh dear God what have you done? _She thought. Slowly, he began to rid himself of his bloody clothing. He kicked off his once immaculate shoes and began unbuttoning his vest. He made no motion to wipe the blood off his face. It was everywhere. He tossed the vest onto the floor next to his shoes and paused to run a hand though his hair._

_“You know it is rude to spy on people while they’re undressing, right my dear?” He turned slowly to face the closet and his eyes met hers through the sliver of an opening. His grin widened even further. She screamed._

_His eyes had been red._

*******

With a jolt, Josephine woke up, the remnants of a scream leaving her throat. Panic set in as she looked around the unfamiliar room. Eventually, her breathing slowed and her senses returned. She remembered where she was; she was in her new room at the Happy Hotel. Here, she would be able to work toward redemption and hopefully be deemed worthy enough to enter heaven. Despite her ability to see perfectly in the dark - _perks of being a demon,_ she thought - the darkness around her made her shiver. She brought her knees up to her chest and held herself. Charlie had told her that the adjustment period would take time, and to come to her whenever she needed something. That had all seemed fine and dandy at first. But when _he_ had arrived, Alastor, it all seemed to literally go to Hell in a hand basket. In all honesty she had figured that he would have gone to Hell after what he did. She had just never, ever had expected to see him ever again. And honestly she had hoped for exactly that.

As she attempted to curl up and drift back off to sleep, a lean shadow watched her from the corner. It smiled as it watch Josephine grow comfortable and eventually her breathing slowed as she surrendered to sleep. The shadow had seen this before, so many years ago. Josephine, all comfortable and completely at ease, without a care in the world. So naive, so trusting. Not unlike Charlie was. It wondered if Josephine was still that same girl or if she had learned a thing or two since her time on Earth hadn’t been unceremoniously cut short like its had. The shadow slipped under the door frame and whisked itself back to its owner, who was eagerly awaiting what it had to say to him.

******

“Did you sleep well, Josephine?” As much as Josephine wanted to say yes, all she could manage was a pathetic head shake. Pulling out a chair in the hotel dining area, Josephine ungracefully plopped down into it, holding her head up with her hands.

“Don’t worry,” Charlie reassured. “A lot of people find there first few nights down here are a bit rough, you know, getting used to being a demon and your new surroundings and such. Buuuuut lucky for you I made breakfast!” Charlie smiled comically wide as she produced a massive plate filled with scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. Despite everything, it smelled absolutely delicious, and Josephine’s stomach made quite an unladylike growl.

“Thank you Miss Charlie,” Josephine said bashfully, taking the fork that Charlie offered her and digging in.

“Oh also, no need to call me ‘miss’ or anything like that! It’s just Charlie here!” Charlie said. Josephine nodded, her mouth full with the most delicious food she had tasted in literal years. Charlie watched happily for a moment as Josephine ate, making sure she enjoyed it, before spinning around and racing toward the kitchen.

“‘Morning newbie,” a bedraggled voice came from behind. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the odd spider-looking man, Angel Dust she thought he was called. At the moment, he was dressed in a pink silk kimono robe, his fur was sticking up at odd ends. She noticed he held a tiny pig around his second set of arms. He oinked quietly. A single, sharp emotion ran through Josephine, like lightning, at the sight of the pig. It was gone as instantly as it came, and for a second after she felt frightened. What on earth had that been?

“Why’re you looking at Fat Nuggets that way?” Angel asked accusingly, pointing his two sets of left hands at her. “Ya betta not be thinking about eating him too!” Josephine shook her head frantically, coughing in surprise and trying not to choke.

“Dear me no! I wouldn’t dream of it! I’m sorry I didn’t mean to stare I just...” she thought for a moment. “Well to be perfectly honest I did not expect to see such a precious animal here of all places.” Angel froze for a second, his hands still pointing at her. Then he dropped them and held Fat Nuggets out toward her.

“Alright then well stare as long as you like ‘cause he’s the cutest little shit you’re ever gonna see ‘round here!” Josephine laughed happily as Angel placed the pig in her lap and sat next to her. Fat Nuggets snorted up at Josephine and she could swear the pig seemed to smile. She chuckled as she wrapped one arm around the pig to hold him securely and ate with the other. For a morning in Hell, this wasn’t so bad. She was eating a good breakfast surrounded by non-threatening, although slightly odd but lovable demons holding a tiny pig. For a moment, Josephine couldn’t of anything that could ruin this morning.

“Gooooood morrrrnnninnnggg!”

Except that.

Alastor strolled into the dining area, his smile wide as ever and his eyes bright. Of course he was still a morning person. Some things never change.

“Do ya have to be so fuckin’ chipper this early in the morning?” Angel grumbled beside her. Josephine gave the tiniest of smirks and ducked her down to continue eating. Anyone who disliked Alastor’s company was a wonderful person in her book.

“Why Angel, it’s only 9 in the morning, however you look absolutely haggard! Rough night on the job?” Alastor purred. Josephine suppressed a shudder. She hated when he spoke like that. In response, Angel stuck up all four of his hands and flipped Alastor off. Alastor of course ignored this and turned his attention to Josephine. _Aw shit._

“And you my dear? How was your first night in this lovely establishment? I trust you slept well.” He leaned closer to Josephine in a way that made it unable for her to ignore him.

“I do hope that the shadows did not give you any cause for alarm. You remember how _old, large_ homes can get at night.” He smiled even wider with his eyes half-lidded. He was too close to her right now. The urge to reach out and strike him was palpable. If he didn’t move away right now-

“Yo fuck off Al, leave the girl alone to eat. Also you’re way too close to my pig so double fuck off.” Angel’s most welcome retort came from next to her. Alastor looked down into Josephine’s lap to gaze at the pig, who immediately let out a terrified squeal and jumped back into Angel’s lap in an attempt to create as much space between Alastor and itself as possible.

“Of course Angel, I know how you feel about your precious swine,” Alastor said, leaning back away from Josephine. “

It’s a shame really, I do love a good pork rib. It’s so amazingly _tender_.”

“Please excuse me!” Josephine cried out, immediately dropping her fork onto the plate and pushing herself away from the table as fast as possible. She heard a sound of surprise coming from the kitchen; Charlie must have returned just as Josephine about launched herself out of the dining area. She couldn’t get back to room fast enough, and when she finally arrived she slammed the door shut as hard as she could. Pressing her back into it, she slid down as she let a sob erupt from her throat. She tried to quiet herself with her hand, but the sobs still escaped. She allowed herself to cry in the safety of her room. At least it was daylight, and Josephine didn’t have to worry about shadows or monsters hiding in the dark. In the day, at least she knew the monsters were outside of her room.

Her cries lessened now, but she began to worry. How on earth was she supposed to work towards redemption when her reaction to seeing Alastor was this? She couldn’t always break down any time she saw him, which since Charlie did say he was now helping run the business, would be a great deal! She wiped the tears off her face. Charlie said it would take time, she thought. Hopefully, with time, she would be able to stand strong whenever Alastor was around. Hopefully...

*****

“Alastor, what did you say to Josephine?” Charlie leaned across the dining room table to glare at Alastor, who sat prim and proper across from her. Angel had left after calling Alastor an asshole; it was just the two of them hashing things out.

“My dear Charlie, I said nothing at all! In fact, I merely bid her good morning and asked if she slept well. You know how one’s first night here can be,” Alastor said with a smug looking grin. Charlie knew he was playing a game; and after considering what Josephine had said about him last night, Charlie was trying to be extra tough with him. Maybe Vaggie was right, maybe she did trust people too easily. Either way, she wasn’t going to let Alastor get away with being a jerk to one of her patients.

“Alastor, I am going to ask you nicely this one time. Please don’t mess with Josephine while she’s here! I know she said you guys knew each other while you were alive, but that still doesn’t give you the right to-“

“She said _what_ now?” Alastor growled, his scarlet eyes flashing dangerously. Charlie could feel the static in the air and she heard the faintest sound of distortion rising in Alastor’s voice. _Oops._

“She, she mentioned that you guys knew each other in life, and I don’t think she had the greatest experience with that. I’m not going to ask about what happened or anything like that!” Charlie said quickly, holding her hands up in an effort to show Alastor she didn’t want to be involved. This of course, did not help, as the static in the room grew.

“But please Al, whatever happened, she just wants to go to heaven. She doesn’t want to have any problems with you or anything, can you please just ignore her and leave her alone?”

“Oh but my dear,” the distortion in Alastor’s voice growing even more menacing. His eyes were slowly turning to radio dials. Charlie realized in this moment: she was afraid. “What if I have problems that I want to discuss with _her?”_ Alastor stood up slowly. He seemed to have grown taller, and now leaned over the table to stare directly at Charlie. “What about that my dear?” Charlie began to shake slightly, but her father’s words of not taking any shit from any demon echoed softly in the back of her mind. She tried channeling him for a moment and stood her ground.

“I don’t care Alastor, this is my hotel and I will protect my people.” They stared at each other, the static making it hard to think clearly. Charlie worried if standing up to Alastor had been a terrible idea and these would be her last moments.

“Oh alright sweetheart fair enough!” With a quick shake Alastor had returned back to his normal self. The static cleared and his eyes were bright and playful again. Gone was the menacing presence and the absolute feeling of dread. “You know me,” Alastor chuckled with a hand flourish. “I just like to play with people, its always so much fun. But I will respect your wishes my dear.”

Summoning his microphone, Alastor turned quickly and walk toward the door. “I’ve got some business to attend to so I will return around dinner time! Ta ta!” Charlie could here his shoes tapping their way toward the front entrance. With a shaky sigh she sat back down in her chair at the dinner table. She hadn’t realized how fast her heart was beating. She knew Alastor could be obsessive, but she hadn’t thought that he could be so fixated on one particular person. She wondered just how much had happened between Alastor and Josephine in their lives, and just how badly it had gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this one at work again too, so please excuse any grammatical or typo errors.  
> Hope y’all enjoyed this one; comments are highly appreciated! Feel free to message me if you have any questions and I will try to answer them as best I can. Check out my Instagram @spooks_ez to see art of Josephine! 
> 
> Thank you!


	4. Anger Management Deals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josephine tries to avoid Alastor and the guy just can’t take a hint. Maybe making a deal with him will keep him at bay.

Later that evening, Josephine emerged from her room. Casting long looks down the hallway to ensure she was totally alone, she quietly made her downstairs to the lobby. The hotel was dimly lit; it’s few inhabitants either not there or in for the night. Either way, Josephine was happy for the silence. As she made her way down the main stairs, she could hear what sounded like glasses ringing together. Entering the lobby, she saw the bartender, Husk she remembered, attempting to clean up the bar whilst downing a bottle of something on his own.

“Now what do you want?” Husk asked gruffly as Josephine sat herself down at the bar. He reeked of cheap booze. “I ain’t got any fru-fru shit for ya here.”

“Actually, I’ll have whatever you’re having,” Josephine replied with a smirk. She giggled to herself when Husk’s usually grumpy face changed into one of surprise.

“What I’m having will inevitably burn your tastebuds off.”

“That’s exactly what I’m hoping for. Today left a bad taste in my mouth and I’d like to be rid of it.” With a ‘Don’t say I didn’t want you’ shrug, Husk reached over for a whiskey glass and poured some of his disgusting liquor into it. As he handed it over to Josephine, the smell of cheap booze hit her with a force. It was enough to spark a memory of her childhood, when her father would smell exactly like this. In an effort to shake herself from that memory, Josephine slammed the drink back.

“Holy shit woman, that’s some seriously awful stuff!” Husk gasped at her as she polished the drink off quickly. “How the hell did you manage to do that without gagging?”

“I grew up exceedingly poor,” Josephine replied. “I never was able to grow accustomed to alcohol that actually tasted well.” She slowly pushed the glass toward Husk with a finger.

“And as I said, I would appreciate it if I could end today with no memory of it.” With an incredulous look Husk poured her drink again, this time filling the glass almost to the top. He then poured himself an equally tall drink and the pair clinked their glasses together in cheer as they both took hearty swigs of their drinks.

The sound of the front door opening and slamming shut made them both turn to look. Angel trudged toward them, a look of exhaustion and disdain on his face.

“Hiya babes, guess who had the shittiest day imaginable?”

“Between the three of us, it may be a hard contest,” Husk mumbled, reaching for a clean glass. “Guessing you’ll be wantin’ one of these.”

“You read my mind Husky baby,” Angel purred, earning a look of disgust from Husk. “Whataya drinkin’ this evenin’ hun?” He asked looking at Josephine’s glass.

“Something closely related to Everclear I assume,” Josephine replied, taking another swig of her drink, this time making a grimace. “It’s from Husk’s own bottle.” Angel chuckled.

“Holy shit, guess you may have had a worse day than me! I’ll take a glass for shits and giggles.” Reaching for the glass Husk had poured, Angel took a sniff of the drink. He immediately leaned back away from the drink, making a gagging sound.

“Ho-lee shit. This is more like gasoline, babe!”

“Bottoms up, Angel,” Josephine smiled, offering to clink glasses with Angel. Angel accepted, and immediately the pair shot back their drinks. They slammed their glasses down with a definitive thunk, Angel letting out a loud ‘whoop!’.

“This is gonna be an absolute train wreck!” Angel laughed as Husk poured the three of them another round.

_Four hours later..._

“My point - _burp_ \- my point is this!” Angel actually never made his point; he was too busy trying to keep himself upright. Gesticulating wildly in an attempt to prove whatever point he was trying to make was causing him to sway erratically, much to Josephine’s amusement. Her hair was a mess as she continuously ran her hands through it, mussing it up each time. Angel himself had run a couple of hands through it as well, claiming its softness could almost, but of course not completely, rival his fluff.

“There ain’t no point anymore,” Husk interjected. “The o’ly point anymore is to get absolutely shitfaced!” Angel and Josephine cheered in response.

“I think - _hic_ \- I think we should start slowing down now fellas,” Josephine giggled. “It’d be an awful shame if - _hic_ \- if someone passed out or threw up.”

“Aw c’mon toots!” Angel said with a slur to his voice. “We’re in Hell! That’s enough of an excuse to totally get drunk enough to pass out, and honestly just being here in this hotel makes me wanna upchuck in general!” Angel and Husk laughed again; Josephine held up a finger.

“Oh no y’all don’t, don’ ya badmouth tha hotel!” Josephine lurched toward to get into Angel’s face, almost bashing her head into the bar as a result. “Charlie is a beautiful girl trying to help ya awful sons o’ bitches outta this hellhole; y’all should be thankin’ her!”

“Oh God you’re accent is precious,” Angel snickered. “Where ya from huh? Texas?” Josephine stuck her tongue out at Angel, causing him to dissolve into laughter.

“I ain’t no cowgirl, I’m from Louisiana, da bayou country.”

“Charlie’s adorable, but she’s so naive it’s almos’ sad,” Husk interjected, and poured himself yet another drink. A horrible decision really.

“Kitty cat’s right toots,” Angel said, extending his upper and lower right hands toward Josephine. “Tha kid’s gotta good heart but it ain’t gonna get ‘er very far in this shithole.” Angel paused for a moment, staring off into space. Suddenly he turned to Husk.

  
“Damn it I’m bummed now. More liquor?” Josephine made a sound in protest as Husk gladly poured Angel another drink.

  
“Boys! No! Tha’s a horrid idea we should slow down!”

“Why slow down when you are having such fun?” A melodic voice came from behind them. Angel and Josephine turned to see Alastor tapping his way toward them, his ever present smile looking large than usual.

“I just came back from a night on the town and my my it looks like you all had more fun than I did!”

“Give me the whole bottle now, Husk.” Josephine motioned frantically toward it. Husk responded by grabbing the bottle and curling his arms protectively around it.

“I don’t mind sharing but I ain’t giving you the whole thing, honey.”

“Now now Josephine, a woman should not imbibe so much. Not very ladylike behavior now is it?” Alastor sneered as he sat on the other side of Josephine, her gaze fixed on anything else but the deer demon beside her. “Although from what I understand you’re not so much of a lady nowadays anyway; perhaps you’ve become more in tune with your _savage_ side?

“C’mon Al please just shut the fuck up. We’re having a good time no need to be a party crasher!” Angel slurred again.

  
“ _Au contraire,_ Angel, I too wish to have some fun! I’m in the mood to continue this wonderful day!”

Angel narrowed his eyes and reached seductively across past Josephine toward Alastor.

“Whataya have in mind hot stuff?”

“Nothing you can offer me,” Alastor responded, smacking Angel’s hand away from him. “Husker my good man, would you care to pour me a glass of bourbon please?”

With a grunt, Husk did as he was asked, albeit rather messily though as he as having trouble deciding which of the two glasses he saw to pour in.

“So Josephine my dear, how are you adjusting to life in Hell?” Alastor asked as he received his drink. He took a small sip and turned himself to face her. Josephine had manage to snag yet another glassful of liquor while Husk had been busy pouring Alastor’s drink, and was now gripping the glass as tightly as she could without shattering it.

“It’s fine, thank you.” She said curtly. She took a large gulp. “I feel that I am adjusting nicely.” Another gulp.

“Hey toots, I ain’t in the business of telling people how to live their life, but you may wanna slow down,” Angel drawled next to her. “Tha’s a lot of liquor you’re havin’ there.”

“I’m fine!” Josephine replied, plastering a semi-manic grin on her face. A voice deep in her mind told her that passing out due to overindulgence in alcohol was definitely not the best way to avoid interacting with Alastor, but at the moment that was the only way out she saw.

“It’s alright Angel,” Alastor chided with a nonchalant wave of his hand. “Josephine can tolerate much more than you give her credit for.” Alastor narrowed his eyes to slits. “Besides, wouldn’t it be interested to see what happens when she finally lets her guard down? My my I do wonder.”

“Alastor kn- _burp_ -knock it off, man. The girl’s just trying to drink in peace,” Husk muttered, his head being held up by both his hands, or paws rather. Alastor ignored him.

“How about it Josephine?” Alastor purred, inching way too close to Josephine’s ear. “Let’s misbehave shall we?”

Josephine snapped.

Something inside her sprung loose, entirely out of her control. Faster than anyone could blink, she swiped a hand across Alastor’s face. Claws that had not been as prominent before now left long streaks of blood across his cheek. Alastor toppled to the floor from the force of her slap. Almost immediately, he rose to his feet, his face long with a terrifying smile and his eyes turning to radio dials. His antlers were much bigger as well.

With a cackle that sounded too much like an animalistic shriek, he faced Josephine, who looked more wolf than human now. Her one eye was entirely red now, fangs elongated and dripping with spit. The pair didn’t even hear Husk and Angel behind them, now both sober as judges.

“Come now Josie,” Alastor snarled, although it sounded more snarl than actual words. “Show them what you really are.” To everyone’s surprise, Josephine took the offense, rushing Alastor and slamming him back into a wall. She suddenly appeared much taller than him and she lowered her now wolf-like face toward his. Alastor chuckled softly with heavy-lidded eyes.

“Oh darling, how I love seeing you get all worked up. It’s absolutely _delicious_.” Josephine roared, priming a clawed hand to swipe down across his chest. Suddenly, she felt someone tackle her, knocking her off balance. Turning around, she saw it was Angel who had essentially wrapped all of his arms and legs around her wolf-like body and had pulled her away from Alastor.

“Josephine c’mon snap out of it! Snap out of it dammit!” A similar cry sounded behind her, and Josephine turned to see Husk pulling Alastor away as well. Alastor, like an animal defending its territory, tried everything he could to maintain eye contact with her, despite Husk trying to get in his face.

“No no no no, don’t look at his pretty mug; look at me!” Angel yelled, dragging her face toward him and away from Alastor’s gaze. “C’mon missy.” Slowly, as Angel pulled Josephine away from where Alastor and Husk were, she slowly regained control of herself. By the time she and Angel had left the bar and were at the top of the main staircase, Josephine, now back in human-esque form, dissolved into a torrent of drunk tears.

*******

It was the god awful headache that stirred Josephine. Blinking the crust from her eyes, she was welcome by not only the headache but the awful ringing in her ears and the soreness in her bones. Classic hangover. She cursed herself silently. The bed was nice though; it was always nice to suffer in ones bed. It felt remarkable soft this morning. New sheets?

Wait...

Josephine’s eyes burst open as she realized a terrifying truth. This was not her bed. Sitting up so fast it made her world spin, she looked around in shock. This was not her room. For starters, the room was pink and an absolute mess. Clothes, shoes, and an assortment of costume accessories littered the room. There was even a couple of bras there were hanging from the light fixture. Josephine looked down at herself and sighed with relief as she realized she was still wearing her clothes from last night. But still, she had literally woken up in someone else’s room. The scandal!

The door swung open suddenly. Josephine let out a shriek as she pulled the sheets closer to her chest.

“Calm down toots it’s me.” Angel Dust entered the room wearing his usual rose pink kimono. Kicking the door closed behind him, he trudged over the bed, sitting next to Josephine with a rather ungrateful plop.

“Here, drink up bitch.” He said, handing her a thick red-looking drink.

“Er, thank you.” Josephine said. She gave the drink a quick sniff.

“It’s a Bloody Mary,” Angel said, taking a swig of his own drink. “It’s pretty good for curin’ hangovers. Ya know, ‘hair of the dog that bit ya’ sort of thing.” They sat side by side for a little while, slowly sipping their drinks in the hopes of vanquishing the atrocious headaches they both battled. Josephine kept glancing up toward Angel, who was currently staring blankly at a wall. Eventually, she could not stand it anymore.

“Angel, you must know, last night’s behavior was um...it was very unlike me. I’m so sorry to have um...come onto you in any way-“ Immediately Angel choked on his drink, and after coughing once or twice began to laugh.

“Aw hun you’re precious. First off, I never sleep with anyone, guy or gal for free. Second, you really don’t remember last night?” With a frantic look on her face, Josephine shook her head. Angel laughed again.

“Aw toots, so after you almost beat the shit out of Alastor, I tried to take you upstairs to calm you down right? But then you started cryin’ and then I couldn’t get ya outta my room, and you just kept goin’ on and on about how awful men are and then ya found Fat Nuggets so you just sorta curled up with him and passed the fuck out. Couldn’t even make ya move over so I could sleep in my own bed too so I just made do.” Angel waved his hand to the floor, toward what looked like an extremely comfy nest of blankets and pillows right next to the bed.

Josephine could feel her cheeks aching in embarrassment.

“Angel I am so terribly sorry. How absolutely horrid of me,” she said, burying her face in her hands. Angel waved her off.

“No harm no fowl toots. Besides, everyone usually gets shitfaced during their first couple of nights in Hell. I’m just glad that even while drunk you still wanna love on Fat Nuggets. One time Alastor had too much and started chasing him around, said he wanted some bacon and pork tenderloin.” Josephine held back a laugh at that. As much as she hated Alastor’s guts at the moment, the visual was too funny.

“Also, you’re totally right. Men do suck, obviously in more ways than one,” Angel said with wink. “But at the moment, to me they suck in a not very pleasurable sorta way.” Angel finished off his Bloody Mary and stood up.

“Not that I ain’t enjoying this morning-after bonding session, but I do gotta take a dust bath so.” Angel finished with a hand flourish toward the door. Josephine immediately nodded and clamored out of the bed, a difficult feat considering how Angel’s bed, having a memory foam mattress, was very hard to get out of.

Josephine paused at the door, still holding her Bloody Mary.

“Thank you Angel Dust, I appreciate your kindness, especially in my inebriated state.”

“Don’t mention it hun. You’re pretty fun to get wasted with. We should do it again sometime.” Angel pointed finger guns toward her with a wink. Josephine chuckled then turned and closed the door behind her. She began padding toward her room, and just before she could grab the handle and turn it, she was immediately pounced on.

“Good morning Josephine!” Charlie’s all too cheery voice sounded exceptionally close behind her. With a slight jump, Josephine turned slowly to face her. “Oh sorry! Did I startle you?”

“Not at all Charlie, good morning,” Josephine replied, still trying to rub the hangover from her eyes. “My apologies I am not myself at the moment.

“I see Angel made you one of his famous Bloody Mary’s,” Charlie smirked, nodding toward the drink. “They actually work but you got to finish the whole thing for it to do its job. I was actually going to ask if you had any plans today!”

Josephine shrugged. “Not that I know of. Why, do you need my assistance with anything?”

“Vaggie and I were going to go shopping, and we were wondering if you’d like to join us! Maybe we could find you some new clothes that you like that are more casual and comfier. Might feel better than constantly wearing that gown each day.”

Josephine glanced down at her dress, the same dress she had manifested when she arrived in Hell. Besides the night gown Charlie had given her, it was the only article of clothing she currently own. As much as she loved wearing it, she definitely thought it may be better to have more than one outfit.

“I’d be delighted to join you both. Just let me clean myself up and I will be ready to go.”

*****

“Really Charlie, this is too much I really can’t accept this.” Originally, Josephine had expected to maybe find one or two outfits that would suffice. She didn’t think that Charlie would actually purchase her an entirely new wardrobe. Charlie had been ecstatic to go shopping for Josephine, like a child running amuck in a toy store. Vaggie had apologized to Josephine, saying that she would get used to Charlie’s childlike demeanor eventually. It wasn’t that that bothered her however, it was just the absolute kindness that Charlie showed not only her but everyone else for that matter, all with absolutely no conditions. It was something Josephine had not experienced much in life, and certainly had not expected to experience it in Hell.

They had finally managed to shove all their shopping bags into Charlie’s limousine that had taken them to the mall and all but crawled their way inside.

“Sorry Josephine, but I already lost the receipts,” Charlie said with a wink as the three girls settled into their seats.

“You think she’s kidding?” Vaggie laughed softly.

“You are both so exceedingly kind, how can I repay you?”

“Just do your best to work towards redemption, that’s all the repaying I need!” Charlie said.

“Speakng of which,” Vaggie interjected, “Can I ask how exactly you ended up here in the first place?” Both Josephine and Charlie immediately turned to her; Charlie flashing a panicked ‘not here not right now’ look at her.

“Orrr not,” Vaggie mumbled quickly, putting both her hands up. “Sorry I feel like I kind of sprung that on you suddenly. Don’t answer that.” Josephine sighed.

“No, no need to apologize, Vaggie.” Josephine sighed again, fiddling with the end of her long braid. “I suppose it is about time I shed some light on that.”

Charlie scooted closer to Josephine and laid a hand on her knee.

“You don’t have to tell us everything, just the stuff you feel comfortable talking about.” Josephine nodded.

“Well, as you may have heard, I was born and raised in Louisiana. My family was in charge of a traveling circus.” Josephine cleared her throat. “We were very poor, and the circus was our only way of making ends meet. I had two brothers, both older than me. My father...my father was an angry man but incredibly smart. He played the ringleader for the circus, and could capture the crowds with his voice.” Josephine snorted before continuing.

“Of course, he never acted that pleasant when it was just us. I’m not sure what happened to my mother to be honest. My father said she ran off right after I was born, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he had done away with her. She simply disappeared.” Josephine was surprised to notice that her eyes had begun to water. Charlie moved her hand from Josephine’s knee to hold her hand. Even Vaggie had scooted closer.

“As I said, we were all involved in the circus. My father was the ringleader, one brother was the animal tamer, the other was a fire juggler. I myself was an acrobat and I also performed precision knife throwing.”

“No way!” Vaggie exclaimed suddenly. She summoned a few of her throwing knives into her hands. “We totally should bond over throwing these bad boys sometime.” Josephine smiled widely at that.

“Yes definitely! I’d love to see if I still have those skills intact. I do miss it so; it was my favorite part of the show, especially when one of my brothers volunteered to be the target.” With a wicked gleam in her eye, Josephine winked at Charlie when Charlie’s face twisted in alarm.

“Don’t worry though, my brother never got hurt from me. I never missed.” Charlie exhaled in relief.

“Well I’m definitely glad to hear that you didn’t get sent to Hell killing your brother accidentally.”

“Oh no,” Josephine replied matter of factly. “It definitely was not an accident at all.”

******

The girls arrived back at the hotel before the conversation could come to a conclusive end. What Charlie and Vaggie had learned was essentially that Josephine had in fact been involved in a few murders, one victim being her own brother. Josephine had not elaborated much on it; she mostly had just said she had done it out of necessity and self-preservation. It should not have surprised Charlie that Josephine had done awful things in life. They were all in Hell for a reason after all. It was just so surprising to Charlie that someone as well-spoken and thoughtful as Josephine could still be susceptible to committing acts of violence.

Despite all this, Josephine had claimed she wanted to move on from her past actions and fully intended to work toward redemption. That had been good enough in Charlie’s book. Before the girls parted ways in the hotel lobby, Josephine had promised to elaborate further on her life at a later date; talking about it was still a fresh and sore subject for her.

Dragging all of her shopping backs, Josephine exhaled in relief as she came to her door. Pushing it open with her hip, she dropped all of the backs right at the entrance of her room. This was definitely going to take a while to sort through. However, she would not get the chance anytime soon.

“Hello there Josephine.”

Alastor was sitting on the edge of her bed, his hands folded primly on his knees. His face was perfectly fine, no evidence of the harsh clawing she had given him the night before. Josephine remained frozen by the door, unsure of how to react.

“Come now dear,” Alastor purred. “I don’t wish to argue or fight. I merely just want to have a conversation with you. Please,” he said, waving his hand in front of him. A chair manifested. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

“I prefer to stand thank you,” Josephine said, stalking towards him, never taking her eyes off him. She stopped and stood next to the chair. “What do you want?”

“Dearest Josephine,” Alastor began, a lazy smile on his face. “I do believe that, for this sake of this hotel and its occupants, that we should really set our differences aside and try to maintain a cordial relationship.” Josephine snorted in reply.

“As if you’d ever agree to that.”

“Oh I do intend to do just that. After all, we wouldn’t want our past issues be brought into the light now would we?” Alastor’s grin stretched a bit. It was then that Josephine noticed something. Alastor’s foot was tapping. If there was no music playing, that could only mean one thing.

“You’re afraid.” Alastor’s foot immediately froze. Josephine allowed herself to smile, making sure her newfound fangs were visible.

“You’re afraid that I will tell everyone the truth about me. That must be it.“ Alastor’s smile remained frozen on his face, but Josephine could feel the static in the air rising.

“My dear, I have never been afraid of my past, or you for that matter. I don’t see any reason why I would suddenly be afraid of you now.” His voice sounded more mechanical than usual. She was getting under his skin. Good.

“So you won’t mind if tell Charlie and the other’s who exactly _sent_ you to Hell now would you?” Josephine’s smile stretched as wide as Alastor’s, and the pair stared at each other like predators about to pounce. Alastor blinked first.

“No,” he conceded, never once letting the smile fall from his face. “I would appreciate it if you kept that to yourself.”

Josephine smirked, knowing that she had the upper hand.

“Very well. I will make you a deal since I know you have always loved making deals.” Alastor’s ears perked up.

“I will keep quiet about everything that happened between us in life on the condition that you stay as far away from me as possible. I will not allow you to ruin my chances of redemption.” Alastor nodded in agreement. He extended his right hand to shake hers. She held up a finger.

“However, if you chose to ignore this condition, please know that I will tell as many demons as I can that it was _I who hunted and shot you between your eyes_ , that it was _I_ who sent you to Hell. Am I clear?”

Alastor smiled, although there was a look of disdain twinkling in his eyes. He extended his hand again, a green light filling the room.

“Crystal clear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait y’all! If you’ve seen my instagram stories you’ll know work has been kicking my ass lately. Writer’s block hasn’t been a joy to deal with either, but thankfully it seems to have gone away and this fic plus my artwork has been the only thing keeping me afloat! I made this chapter longer than the rest to hopefully make up for the wait! 
> 
> Check out my instagram for some scenes of this fic @spooks_ez ! As always, comments are always appreciated! :D
> 
> Thank you! 
> 
> P.S. i hope y’all read the “Four hours later” line in the spongebob narrator voice ‘cause I know I did


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